The present invention is generally directed to a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus utilizing a recording carrier container which is generally called "compact cassette."
In this type of tape cassette, magnetic tape is wound on hubs that are rotatably mounted in the tape container, and the magnetic tape has a tendency to loosen between the reel hubs during handling or tansportation accordingly. When the loosened tape cassette is operated with a recording and reproducing apparatus such as cassette type tape recorder, stable transport of the magnetic tape may not only be accomplished but also a malfunction, such as entanglement of the tape with pinch roller, may sometimes be encountered.
Accordingly, it is a main object of the present invention to provide a cassette tape recorder which is able to eliminate automatically the slack of the magnetic tape between the reel hubs before the tape starts to be driven in the predetermined direction at a constant speed.
In order to accomplish the object, in the cassette tape recorder of the present invention, there is provided an operation such that when a tape cassette is placed in the proper "play" position (defined as that position wherein a magnetic transducer head is in contact with the tape), and before the magnetic tape is pressed against the tape drive capstan with the pinch roller, the driving spindle for pay-out reel is rotated in the reverse direction to eliminate the slack between the pay-out reel and take-up reel, and when the predetermined tension to be given is detected, the magnetic tape is stated to transport at a constant speed in the required direction. Thus, the slack of the magnetic tape may be removed automatically before the constant speed transport of the tape, thereby, the disadvantage in the cassette tape recorder of the prior art may be eliminated.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the present invention as set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved magnetic recording and reproducing aparatus itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following description of a specific embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings.